


Taraenshlev

by SilentMachina



Series: Dewdrops [1]
Category: Young Wizards - Diane Duane
Genre: Gen, Trans Dairine, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-26 14:40:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6243619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentMachina/pseuds/SilentMachina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dairine Callahan has come a long way to be who she is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Taraenshlev

“ _On the Social Institution of Gender_ ” said the spine of the book, freshly checked out a week earlier by one D. Callahan and long since devoured. Mrs. Lesser had given a funny look as she scanned it. Not that this was the first time, and it likely wouldn’t be the last. In any case, it had seemed the next logical step in curiosity after finally reading up on reproductive anatomy. (Though why grownups all refused to talk about such an interesting subject was still a mystery…) 

Inside the book had been things that seemed to shake the foundations of what adults always said. It talked about people thinking gender came from a person’s shape when it really comes from who they are and how they see themself. It talked about how sometimes everybody’s first guess didn’t match who someone really would be, and ways that some people showed off who they really were.

And most importantly, it all rang true in the way that felt like meshing gears in the mind of the young reader. And that reader had promptly taken it to heart and started thinking about who he—no, _she_ , that was what felt best—wanted to end up being.

And now there she was wandering into the library after school, like always, another book the wiser and ready to look for one more. She smiled to herself as she handed the book up to Mrs. Lesser at the desk, who greeted her warmly as usual:

“Hello Darren, looking for anything in particular today?”

~~~~~

Dairine groaned and rolled over, and one short fall later was surprised to find herself looking up at the living room coffee table instead of her bedroom ceiling. But, she supposed, one could hardly be blamed for collapsing on the couch after a night like she’d just been through.

She managed to fish her cell phone out of her pocket and checked the time. 4 PM. Bright and early, considering last night’s 3 AM mission to keep the sun from scorching half the planet. She hoped the others had gotten a decent rest too… The three visiting alien wizards who were staying in the Callahan house had just done a lot of work to save the planet where they had 

been expecting to spend a vacation. After hauling herself upright and taking a minute to stretch, Dairine wandered toward the kitchen to check for signs of life (and signs of food).

After a few minutes she had heated up a plate of leftovers and had realized just how ravenous she was. She was about halfway through eating when a lanky golden-haired bronze figure in a baggy t-shirt wandered into the kitchen.

“‘Morning Roshaun,” said Dairine, when she found a moment without her mouth full.

“Surely it’s afternoon,” Roshaun said in reply. Dairine rolled her eyes.

“Want something to eat? It’s been since dinner yesterday.”

Dairine didn’t wait for an answer to set out some options on the counter and hand Roshaun a plate.

“Pick anything and microwave it for 2 minutes.”

“Dairine,” said Roshaun, unprovoked, as he considered the leftovers, “I meant to ask you… During the spell I noticed your name in the Speech, the long version, something was not as I would have guessed. And… you seem different from others here, in more than the usual ways, though I cannot place why. I am curious.”

Dairine set down her fork and stared at him.

“Have I offended you?”

“No, no.” she said. “I don’t mind talking about it with a friend really. I’m just surprised. People around here don’t want to talk about this kind of stuff is all; they’re uncomfortable with it, with people like me being around, because we don’t fit their idea of how things are.”

“And what is it about you that they cannot believe in?”

“I’m transgender… I don’t know if things are similar or different on Wellakh, but here most people think that what makes someone a boy or girl is their anatomy, and that decides who they’ll be. And a system like that can’t be accurate, people are going to turn out as themself regardless. So a lot of people believe I’m ‘supposed to be’ a boy…”

“...And they rebel against what they do not understand? I should like to hear more, if you care to tell me.”

~~~~~

“Dair, you okay?” asked Nita after the family had finished eating dinner.

Darren nodded, and tried a little harder to hide how nervous she was. Luckily her older sister didn’t press, and after a couple minutes asked to excuse herself. With Nita safely away and up to her own pursuits, Darren clutched the book that had been sitting in her lap. It was not uncommon for her to bring books to the table, but this time the reason was different.

It took a few long breaths for her to make herself move, but she managed to reach up and set the book on the table in front of her parents. A few more breaths…

“I’m a girl,” she squeaked.

The minutes dragged by in silence. Darren was frozen, even the little fidgets that always seemed to happen on their own had stopped, and she could feel her face coloring. Both her parents sat in silence for a long time, occasionally looking at each other, and their possible reactions echoed in Darren’s head. Would it be “We’ll always love you no matter what” or “What in the world made you think this is okay?”

Her mother was the first to speak.

“Darren,” she said, “I think this is something your dad and me will need some time to talk about… Is it okay if we talk again in a day or so?”

Darren didn’t know what else to do but nod slowly. She had run through all the explanations and rebuttals she could imagine, but hadn’t been prepared for nothing at all.

~~~~~

It was after school on the second day after that Darren’s parents finally took her aside again. She couldn’t help but be a bit relieved that something was happening. Her mind had been formulating new versions of what she could say to them constantly. Relief, however, didn’t stop dread from rising into her throat & sending blood rushing to her face.

Nita was there too this time, and Darren sat next to her on the couch.

“Darren,” her mother began, after a deep breath. “We’ve talked over what you told us, and tried to learn a little about it, and… We decided that even though we’re very surprised and don’t really understand, the most important thing is that we love you and want what’s right for you, and we’re going to try to be with you in this.”

Darren let out a sigh and stared at her mother with wide eyes. Everything she had rehearsed in her head was suddenly gone.

“As for you Nita,” their mother continued, “we have some news: It turns out you have a younger _sister_.”

~~~~~

Darren walked in the door bearing a fresh set of bruises and holding back tears. Again. Of course.

It was happening at least once a week now. At first it had been just the occasional nasty comment when all she had done was grow her hair a little. It was after she and her parents had talked to the principal and asked that the teachers be told to use she pronouns and acknowledge her as a girl that things started to go downhill a lot more. One week Darren had decided it might be time to try wearing girls’ clothes to school, but had quickly changed her mind after getting beaten up every day until she stopped.

Both her parents were always beside themselves every time it happened, but they were safe and welcoming. It was beginning to feel routine to come home, climb onto the sofa beside her mother, and stifle sobs against her steady shoulder. Darren hurried to the living room and did just that.

“Hey sweetie,” her mother said, running her fingers through Darren’s hair. “Take your time, you’re safe with me.”

“What was it this time?” Her mother asked when she had finished sobbing.

“My name,” said Darren. “They said how could I be a girl if I have a boy’s name. But they’re wrong, they’re always wrong, I _am_ a girl... Maybe I should have a girl’s name already? I’ve been trying to pick one for a while, but all I can think of is the one I’ve got...”

“Do you like the name you’ve got?”

Darren nodded.

“Well then maybe you can hang on to it and we can just spruce it up a little… Would that be okay, ummm… Dairine?”

More nodding.

“There you go then, you can wear it around the house a little and if you like it I’ll give the school a call. And do the teachers still not do anything about the kids who bother you?”

“Nothing that works,” said Darren; no, _Dairine_. ( _It does feel okay as a name_ , she thought.) “They just get sent to the office or detention. And only if they get caught in the act. And whenever any stop new ones start up.”

“Well,” said her mother, with a deep sigh, “your dad and I have talked some, and if you feel up to it we think it might help for you and Nita to take some martial arts classes, for self defense…”

~~~~~

“...What _is_ it like on Wellakh, by the way?” said Dairine. “Gender, I mean… I have a bad habit of skipping cultural gender in every précis because I like taking everyone’s word for it anyway.”

Roshaun froze for a few moments.

“I always assumed something similar to what you say most people here do, gender associated with anatomy… But you’ve made me think about it, which had never occurred to me before. In the Sun Palace I… saw little of the concerns of the Wellakhit people. It is strange to realize something I do not know of my home, but with what you have told me, surely my people must be no more bound by such a rule than yours are…”

“Well, maybe it’s something to look into after you go back, Mister Alien King.”

Roshaun glared at her for a split second, but it didn’t last.

“It’s strange, that sounds very different to me than it used to… ‘Prince’ and ‘king’ were always perhaps good summaries of my role, but I have never been certain if they quite suited the way I have fit into it.”

Dairine rolled her eyes and laughed.

“Are you saying you might be an alien _queen_ then?”

“It is a question to ask myself, I suppose. I am at least curious about the affairs of the peoples of Wellakh, knowing that I may have taken things for granted as truth which may not be. And _you_ are the alien.”

“If you say so, Beloved of the Sun Lord.”


End file.
